Technology & treatment

Linear accelerator / LINAC

Principle & mechanism

A LINAC delivers radiation from outside the body. IMRT, VMAT, and stereotactic radiation are planning or delivery techniques; actual capability depends on configuration and team.

What informs suitability

Clinicians define goals, target volume, protected organs, and dose fractionation. Imaging supports positioning and treatment checks.

Typical pathway

Care includes simulation, positioning or immobilisation, computer planning, verification, and scheduled radiation, with side-effect assessment throughout.

Risks & evidence limits

VitalBeam is not a single care plan or proof that every feature is installed. Compare it with CyberKnife by clinical needs, not device rankings.

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Original BKC explainers

24 seconds · silent text video

Radiation, ablation, surgery: what differs?

Read the video transcript

Radiation targets a planned area. CyberKnife uses X-rays. It is not surgery with a blade.
Ablation acts on a local target. RFA uses heat from radiofrequency energy. Risks and target location need assessment.
Surgery describes a procedure. Procedure, access approach, and recovery are three different questions.
Start with the care goal. Discuss options and combinations with a doctor, based on diagnosis and patient condition.

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Reading sources

Prepared by BKC editorial, 22 October 2026. General education, not a diagnosis or personal treatment selection. A topic listing does not establish availability at a particular hospital.

Connect the concepts

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Specialties & teams

SEE THEM SIDE BY SIDE

Different names. Understand how they work.

Compare principles, assessment, and evidence limits. A reading tool, not a way to select your treatment.

Concept diagram: Linear accelerator / LINAC — Linear accelerator / LINAC

Concept diagram: CyberKnife / SRS / SBRT — CyberKnife / SRS / SBRT

Read principles, assessment, and risks

Concept comparison, without rankings or recommendations.
Aspect	Linear accelerator / LINAC	CyberKnife / SRS / SBRT
How it works	A LINAC delivers radiation from outside the body. IMRT, VMAT, and stereotactic radiation are planning or delivery techniques; actual capability depends on configuration and team.	CyberKnife is an image-guided robotic stereotactic radiotherapy system. SRS and SBRT describe focused radiation approaches; radiosurgery does not mean cutting surgery.
What is assessed	Clinicians define goals, target volume, protected organs, and dose fractionation. Imaging supports positioning and treatment checks.	Size, location, target motion, nearby sensitive organs, and previous radiation affect planning. Large doses per fraction do not suit every tumour.
Risks & limits	VitalBeam is not a single care plan or proof that every feature is installed. Compare it with CyberKnife by clinical needs, not device rankings.	Radiation can affect healthy tissue. Side effects depend on site and dose; follow-up images and size changes require clinical interpretation.

Linear accelerator / LINAC CyberKnife / SRS / SBRT

Schematics are conceptual. Technologies with different purposes are not necessarily alternatives. Open each topic for its sources and context.

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Doctors assess options from the case, beyond a technology name alone.

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